Report: MLB permanently adopting automatic runner in extra innings

Say goodbye to marathon extra-inning games.

MLB's joint competition committee unanimously approved the permanent implementation of an automatic runner in extra innings, a source told ESPN's Jesse Rogers.

The rule will reportedly continue to apply only during the regular season, as has been the case since its introduction. Half-innings in extra-inning postseason contests will still begin with the bases empty.

Under the existing rule, the batting team in each extra inning starts with a "ghost runner" - the player who made the last out in the previous frame - placed on second base. For scoring purposes, the runner is credited with having reached base on an error; the run is considered unearned if he scores.

While the rule had long been a staple of international baseball competitions, MLB only adopted it during the pandemic-shortened 2020 campaign to try to protect pitchers' arms. It proved popular among both players and managers, leading to its retention on a temporary basis over the last two years.

The longest extra-inning game played under the rule reached the 16th inning, which happened twice, according to Stathead. The last regular-season contest to reach 20 innings was in 2013, according to Baseball Almanac.

The longest game in MLB history by innings was a 26-inning affair between the Brooklyn Robins and Boston Braves on May 1, 1920. That contest ended in a 1-1 tie due to darkness. The professional record remains a 33-inning marathon between the Triple-A Pawtucket Red Sox and Rochester Red Wings in 1981.

MLB's competition committee also approved a rule change regarding position players pitching, Rogers reports. The new rule will prohibit position players from taking the mound unless their team is ahead by at least 10 runs or trailing by more than eight in the ninth inning; the previous threshold was a six-run lead or deficit.

Position players can reportedly still pitch at any time in extra innings.

The six-run limit was designed to limit the number of position players pitching but produced the opposite effect. Position players took the mound 132 times in 2022, up from 32 during the 2017 season, notes Rogers, citing Elias Sports Bureau.

These changes are the latest tweaks to MLB's rulebook for the 2023 season. The league previously approved several radical changes, including a pitch clock, larger bases, and eliminating extreme defensive shifts.